Propylene Glycol Information: What Is In E-Liquids?

Propylene Glycol is one of the primary ingredients in the e-liquid that turns into the vapor to mimic the smoke in electronic cigarettes.

For lack of reliable information, there are some people who believe recent scare of it being very harmful to health. The concern about propylene glycol being a safe for people to use has escalated due to a recent headline in the Daily Mail that had stated “e-cigarettes are more dangerous than smoking.” that other online media publications have called misleading and without reference.

Ever since electronic cigarettes have heightened in popularity, the acceptance of this product has been held back and obstacles placed in the way for it’s approval by the FDA, and its being categorized a stop smoking aid – notably calling it a nicotine delivery device. Yet, despite these hindrances, there are millions of people worldwide who have quit smoking because of electronic cigarettes or use it as an alternative cigarette in area where smoking is not allowed.

Propylene Glycol, is commonly called PG by those in the e-cigarette industry. It is:

an organic compound

a type of alcohol

works as a humectant that retains moisture

disrupts the formation of ice crystals in H20

this is a common substance in food, medicine, cosmetics, and more

it is the suspension medium for breathing treatment nebulizers

it is used as an airplane de-icer and as an anti-freeze

is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the FDA for oral use

Propylene glycol is non-toxic. The ingredients in toxic anti-freeze are ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, not propylene glycol.

Propylene glycol may cause respiratory irritation but this has been found to occur in a very small percentage of people and the sudden reaction subsides when the propylene glycol is airborne as noted in the people who use nebulizers to cure breathing problems such as asthma.

Another thing that may happen is to get an allergic reaction if it comes in contact with the skin, which research has shown to happen to less than four percent of the people who have had this substance on their skin. There is one more concern about this substance as when it comes in contact to the eyes, as vapor or in it’s liquid form, it may cause irritation that will disappear once the substance is removed.

After reading the information about propylene glycelol, it is much easier for an e-cigarette user or one who is interested in buying electronic cigarettes to make a studied decision based on these facts that show that the any harmful effect of this FDA GRAS approved substance is quite negligible.